Marine Biotechnology : Aquaculture for food production for a growing population and for novel food and feed Purva Singal Department of Biochemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Abstract
Challenges
Background: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization World fish consumption is at a high of 19 kg per individual per annum. The demand for fish, as a rich source of quality protein and omega-3 oil, now far surpasses the sustainable yield of the ocean. To meet the ever-increasing demand and address the shortfalls in capture fisheries, aquaculture has expanded very rapidly and is now the fastest growing food-producing industry in the world. Rationale: Today, with its current annual growth rate of 7%, aquaculture is the fastest growing animal production sector in the world. This rapid growth puts large demands on feed resources.The main issues of concern for improving aquaculture production are optimal feeds and feeding, health of cultured populations and minimal environmental impact. Hence, we need a novel way of fulfilling the food and feed requirements. Strategy: By going through different research papers and journals; Also by studying the trends of aquaculture production over the last 60 years Some of the key findings have been presented. . Results: The Aquaculture industry is found to grow exponentially in the upcoming years. Better sources of nutrition are found which can be further investigated experimentally.
The major research issues in aquaculture are similar to those of other agricultural sectors, but the knowledge base for aquaculture is comparatively meagre. Development of this knowledge is a particular challenge due to the diversity of cultured aquatic species and the systems for their production. Investigate marine organisms for their capability to produce novel bioactive substances. Establish networks between laboratories with special competence to screen for selected effects. Improve primary culture conditions and the large-scale culture of marine microorganisms and of cells from marine multicellular organisms with potentially interesting properties Optimise the feed processing, mixing appropriate feed ingredients, or supplementing amino acids. Sustainability is also challenge here, as feed resources – including soybean or peas, which are a source of essential amino acids – should not directly compete with human food resources.
Strengths Novel feedstock for fish to help to tackle these issues have been identified:• Three resources are used: from bacteria, Methylococcus capsulatus; yeast, Candida utilis; and microalgae, Phaeodactylum . •The advantages of using microorganisms are that they have a rapid growth rate; there is no need for agricultural land and little need for fresh water; and they can be produced from non-food sources.
Introduction Life originated in the sea. The earth's surface is mostly ocean, which has the most ancient and most diverse forms of life. Thus, the marine environment is the treasure throve of biological and chemical diversity among all types of ecosystems. It has a wide variety of living organisms, from bacteria to eukaryotes, as well as unique chemical compounds which are of great importance to medicine, nutrition, cosmetics, agriculture, and other industries. Biotechnological applications can be used to harness the potential of the marine environment for human benefit and fundamental biological progress. Marine biotechnology is a knowledge generation and conversion process: it unlocks access to biological compounds and provides novel uses for them. By exploring and harnessing marine materials, entirely new uses in areas far from the marine are likely to be found. One of the main function of marine biotechnology is to provide safe and sustainable aquaculture. Aquaculture can supply high-quality food in a sustainable way. Wild fish stocks that serve as fish meal and oils have traditionally been the most important feed sources for aquaculture. To minimize the environmental impact however, alternatives are needed. Today, plants make up about 70% of salmon feed. Although they are an abundant and cheap resource with a good environmental profile, there are some drawbacks in using plant feed for carnivorous fish. They have high levels of carbohydrates, and the amino acid profile is suboptimal for a carnivorous diet. Often plant feeds also have a wide range of anti-nutrients that can have negative effects on the growth of the fish, or induce gastrointestinal disorders.
Acknowledgements www.isaaa.org (International service for the acquisition of Agriculture biotech applications) www.springlerr.com www.marine.ie www.marinebiotech.eu www.fao.org (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
•A bacterial meal was developed from methanotrophic bacteria using Methylococcus capsulatus, produced in a bio fermentation processor using natural gas, with the addition of oxygen, ammonia and minerals. The chemical composition of the bacterial meal proved similar to fishmeal: it has 70% protein, 10% lipids and 12% carbohydrate content. The amino acid composition is even better, because of the higher tryptophan content. In addition, it contains 10% nucleic acids and a wide range of bioactive components, which have a positive effect on fish health. Areas with large reserves of natural gas could develop this technology to industrial scale. • Another approach to produce new fish feeds is to use trees as the major input source. A high-end bio-refinery demonstration plant is built for this purpose. The plant allows using different types of biomass for a wide range of products. Wood chips are used and broken down to lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose by thermo-chemical processing. The lignin is then separated from the wood biomass, while the cellulose and hemicellulose is further broken down to individual sugars by chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis. The next step involves fermentation of the sugars by yeast, followed by harvesting of the yeast biomass, which is dried to a sterile meal that can be used in fish feed. The yeast meal tested contains about 55% protein, 8-10% nucleic acids and 2-8% lipids, and has a favourable amino acid profile with a high lysine and tryptophan level, but a lower methionine level. .
Results and Discussion Despite the progress made in the cultivation of certain organisms, not all of them are adequately studied to allow optimum production, and the requirement for species diversification increases the need for research in this area. Exclusion of traditional raw materials from aquaculture feeds and possible limitation in the use of those remaining impose a great risk to aquaculture sustainability. New raw materials should be explored and/or developed for inclusion in fish feeds. Marine aquaculture is now a mature and highly successful example of marine biotechnological activity . Its Research and Development focus is increasingly shifting from engineering/ husbandry/nutrition to environmental sustainability of prolific aquaculture.